'We're not afraid of Dublin'
It has been the prime motivation for Mick O'Dwyer ever since an offer to help out on a short-term basis turned into a decade of quite remarkable commitment. And it has been the same for all of the players who have joined him in his quest, many of whom have never played under any manager.
Defender Ken Doyle says that while their aim all along has been to win the provincial title, it's only natural that they have wider ambitions. "Really we'd love to get an All-Ireland as well, having won Leinster in 1998 and 2000," he says. Equally, he agrees that Kildare's form for a lot of this year wouldn't inspire confidence in them going that extra step this time.
"We hadn't been playing very well in the league. We were just trying to get our team ready for the first round of the championship against Louth. It was probably the first time we had everybody together coming up to that game. We scraped through that, but we have been improving all the time since."
On the basis of the form they displayed through last year, Doyle doesn't dispute the view that Kildare haven't the best record for consistency.
"It seems that every second year we seem to do well. In 1998 we had a great year, but we fell down very badly the following year. Again in 2000 we were very good and last year we seemed to drop completely again.
After going out to Meath in the Leinster semi-final, it seemed that their season was back in track after a thrilling victory over Donegal in the qualifier competition. It was "probably their best performance all year," Doyle agrees. Still, it went sour for them in Croke Park against Sligo. "We had four or five lads who 'didn't play' that day, for various reasons. But we hadn't been playing well. Sligo hit form on the day and we were history."
In the circumstances, it was inevitable that changes would be made in the panel and in the team. There's a new goalkeeper, Enda Murphy, and a new full-back, Padraig Mullarkey. Doyle plays in the corner alongside him. He describes Mullarkey as a "fine athletic footballer" and it has helped to establish himself as the number one choice for the position.
On two fronts, he feels that Dublin have an advantage going into the game. They have already played in the 'new' Croke Park and specifically experienced the new pitch and its expanded playing area. The Kildare players walked around the arena on Monday evening before having a short game between themselves.
"It's a bigger pitch and it's a bit of a difference for everybody. It may be a help to Dublin, but not a huge amount either. But when it comes down to it I'm sure nobody will notice the size!"
While agreeing that Dublin were pushed to the limit by Wexford in their opening game, they were a different proposition in the semi-final against Meath. As well as being very fit, he thought they looked "very hungry and very sharp".
The Kildare players know what they are up against, but they will be prepared.
"The extra game we had against Offaly did us a lot of good. After the league our form in challenge matches had been average enough. We were just getting things together when we met Louth, but we are on an upward slope, I think.
"Winning the way we won gave us a bit of confidence coming into this game, which we probably needed badly.
"We won't be afraid of Dublin, but we know we are up against it. We'll approach the game the way we approach every other game concentrating on our own strengths and concentrating on our own performance."
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